Left Back Football

Pep Guardiola is the most influential coach of this generation as his influence has permeated throughout world football. Erik Ten Hag at Ajax has utilised his methods to lead Ajax to an Eredivisie title while Mikel Arteta is using Guardiola’s teachings to improve Arsenal. The results have only just improved but Arsenal are more methodical and elaborate during certain phases of the game as Arteta has instilled confidence in Granit Xhaka, Mesut Ozil and Shkodran Mustafi. The 37-year-old is slowly improving Arsenal as he has shown his tactical prowess early during his tenure in North London.

Build-Up

Arteta has utilised a 2+3 build-up shape as they look to create passing angles into the six space while the fullbacks have ball-playing responsibilities. Arsenal’s centre-backs will at times drop deeper to invite pressure so that they can create space for passes into the six space to evade pressure while Arsenal will regularly adjust their original shape in order to progress play. Arsenal will sometimes switch to a 2+4 shape as Granit Xhaka normally positions himself as an outball in the 8 space but in certain situations, he will drop next to the six space to create passing options for the centre-backs. The centre-backs, especially David Luiz, are encouraged to drive the ball forward to engage opposition pressure in order to work balls through the lines or work a switch ball to the weak side. When David Luiz drives forward, this triggers Alexandre Lacazette to drop deeper to receive possession or make a dummy movement for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang to move into the centre while Bukayo Saka pushes forward on the left flank.

In the photo above, David Luiz is pushing forward as Aubameyang is dropping deeper while Saka has pushed high on the left flank as Lacazette is also in a body position to receive the ball. It is also important to notice that as Arsenal pushes forward, Xhaka fills the wide role in the midfield three, underlapping the fullback while the ball-far fullback, especially Ainsley Maitland-Niles will tuck in as an auxiliary midfielder. Arsenal will move into a 2-3-5 shape in the opposition half as the centre-backs will push high as Xhaka will engage with Saka and Aubameyang in the wide areas for wide combinations. Xhaka is normally placed in the 8 space as Arsenal favoured sequence in build-up is the centre-backs playing the ball to the six space for the six to flick a pass through to Xhaka who will then drive the ball and spread it into the wide areas.

Arteta has made a concerted effort in involving Mesut Ozil as an apparatus for build-up moving him into areas in the ten space as well as the right and left half-spaces to receive possession and work combinations with the winger and fullback. Maitland-Niles is a gifted one-touch passer and mover while Nicolas Pepe can dribble out of 1v1 situations to drive into the wide areas or move into the centre as Arsenal utilise the centre as a switching zone.

Arsenal also switch to a 3+2 build up shape in a 3-2-5 formation or a 3+1 formation as Xhaka will move into a left centre-back role to establish a three-chain as his midfield partner will drop into the six space. If Maitland-Niles is playing at right-back, he will remain in the same vertical line as the midfielder in the six space, continuing his role at moving inside when the ball moves to the opposite flank. The three-chain will circulate the ball amongst each other, moving the opposition line of pressure and creating space for direct passes in between the lines. The wide centre-backs have the opportunity to drive the ball and play direct passes in between the lines or switch balls while David Luiz who will always exclusively be the most central defender will drive into the centre to work passes for Lacazette who will drop into space.

Switching to a three-chain has allowed Arsenal to trigger actions to create goalscoring opportunities as the wide centre-backs can also push into the midfield line alongside the six space in 3+1 shape to create better avenues and passing angles to the players in between the lines. With Xhaka as a wide centre-back pushing back into the midfield line, it can sometimes look like 2+2 shape as the centre-backs will usually take up unconventional positions to create better passing angles to progress play. For instance, Sokratis Papastathopoulos and Mustafi will normally push into the midfield line, leaving David Luiz as the solitary deepest-lying player to create better passing angles to receive the ball and play a one or two touch pass to the six space or in between the lines.

Arteta also frequently adjusts to his players within the broader framework of his system as when Ceballos played next to Xhaka, Arsenal utilised more a 3+1 shape with Ceballos more of a deep-lying distributer finding avenues to Ozil. With Bellerin at right-back, Arsenal did not utilise his ball-playing abilities to the extent of Maitland-Niles’ as the Spaniard’s main focus was supporting Pepe in the half-space and in the wide areas although Arsenal did utilise him in the 2+3 build-up system at times. In a short space of time, Arteta has shown an innate knowledge of his playing staff to utilise their unique talents and skillsets within a cohesive team organisation.

Wide build-up with 3v3s and cut-backs

A theme of positional play is the use of good wide 3v3 situations to create cut-back and low crossing situations in order to have higher quality opportunities from inside the box. A theme of Arsenal’s press resistance has been getting Ozil into positions to receive the ball behind the second wave of pressure as the German finds himself in the ten space behind the central lines, in the right half-space linking up with Maitland-Niles as well as the opposite half-space or in the lateral zones. The use of Xhaka as a left sided centre-back is also to give him better access to left flank as he pushes up and is involved in the wide triangles with Bukayo Saka and Aubameyang.

Arsenal utilise the standard triangular 3v3 combination system with a player in the deeper area as well as a player in the lateral zone and a player in the half-space. These players work quick combinations and interchanges to create space for runs in behind as the fullback and winger relationship is integral as they do most of the swapping. The midfielder which is Ozil on the right and Xhaka in the left will normally be the distributer receiving the ball from a centre-back or another midfielder before playing a pass to the fullback or winger while the other teammate makes a third man run in the lateral zone or half-space for a pass.

Against deeper-blocks where the opposition respond by marking the players with three men, Lacazette moving out wide to create an overload by receiving possession and laying it off allows Arsenal to continue with their wide combinations. The 3v3 combinations are not just important with possession as they create off the ball movements to create space for crosses. Saka pushing up allows Lacazette to move into a more central role plus there are also situations when the winger receives the ball in the lateral zone with in order to cut in as once the winger makes his first step inside, the fullback will overlap.

Off the ball, when possession is in the deeper areas or out wide, Arsenal will use these automatisms to create space out wide or in the half-spaces. Bellerin will make an underlapping run into the half-spaces to create space for Pepe out wide while Aubameyang frequently moves into the half-space to create space for Saka to drive into the lateral zone. Arteta’s Arsenal have become well-versed in the wide combinations as Ozil, Pepe and Bellerin cleverly interchange with pace in order to get Pepe into 1v1 situations in the wide areas. The same can be said on the opposite flank as Xhaka is consistently in space as a wide centre-back. Opposition teams defend with a first wave of one or two pressing players, giving Xhaka space in the left zone, allowing him to drive forward and work passes in behind for Saka and Aubameyang to combine or for Saka to be in 1v1 situations with space in front of him in the lateral zone.

Positional Play

Arteta utilises methodologies and ideas similar to Marcelo Bielsa, ten Hag and his coaching mentor Guardiola as he quickly integrated a front five attacking system with positional play ideals. Arsenal seek to stretch the pitch in the final third and have improved in making subtle movements to open spaces for shots and crosses across the front five while the automatisms are rapidly improving as the players gain more experience in the system and get used to each other’s movements. In the picture above, Arsenal are in a 2-3-5 as they can also utilise a 3-2-5 attacking shape and with the use of Ceballos and his press-resistant distribution, Arsenal can sometimes switch to a Ten Hagian 3-1-6 at times.

Arsenal are occupying the opposition defensive and midfield low block giving the midfielders space and opportunities to make adequate decisions in their distribution. Guendouzi has direct access to central striker, Lacazette who is dropping deep to receive possession and work a lay off to Xhaka who can then shift the ball out wide or play a switch ball back to Aubameyang on the right flank. Arteta’s knowledge of his playing staff is on show as Aubameyang who normally plays on the left has moved to the right flank while the midfield line has the usual defensive midfielder in the six space, his midfielder partner and fullback unit. Sokratis who was positioned at right-back was given more distribution responsibilities than overlapping responsibilities as Aubameyang is tasked with establishing width on the right flank. Sokratis would also usually drop alongside the centre-backs to establish a three-chain to distribute possession which was different from what Arteta would task Bellerin or Maitland – Niles with doing.

The first thing that is noticeable is the focus on width with Aubameyang in the role of a winger establishing width on one flank while Saka as a fullback establishes width on the other flank. The switch ball to Saka is immediately available for Guendouzi as Saka is gesturing for it as his winger moving into the half-space and the opposition’s focus on central rigidity has allowed the fullback to be in space. Arsenal have also created the opportunity for 3v3s in the wide areas with Sokratis, Aubameyang and Willock on the right while Xhaka, Saka and Martinelli occupy the left. A facet of positional play is constantly moving and switching the ball to create spaces for combinations in the wide areas and half-spaces for high quality low crossing opportunities.

Positional play does not just concern switching the ball and wide combinations to create crossing opportunities but also the occupying of markers in the central areas and the use of innate and subtle movements to create space for passes into congested central zones to generate shooting opportunities. Arsenal have improved in this regard as they have adjusted to the demands of Arteta’s style of play. Most central movements begin with Lacazette dropping deep as this not just creates a line breaking passing opportunity for deeper players but triggers many movements and automatisms for his teammates. The main automatism is Lacazette dropping deep allowing Aubameyang to make an inverted run to the nine-space giving Saka space to push up on the left flank.

Nketiah and Aubameyang have developed a similar type of relationship and understanding in the last two Premier League matches as Nketiah has dropped deep to allow Aubameyang to run in behind. Against Newcastle, the duo had a moment from a throw in where Ceballos received the ball and played a pass to Xhaka who worked a pass for Ozil in between the lines. Ozil drove the ball to the right flank then turned back which triggered for Nketiah who the ball-near striker was to gesture for a through ball into his lane before Ozil turned back and played a pass back to Xhaka. Nketiah started to casually back track as Aubameyang began to make an inverted movement while their markers were tracking them in the Newcastle defensive shape as by the time Xhaka had passes the ball back to Ozil, Nketiah and Aubameyang had switched. Both players were now occupying their markers’ blind-side as Ozil worked a pass past Aubameyang who was making a run for a through ball and to Nketiah who had a shot saved by the keeper from inside the box.

Lacazette moving into the wide areas also allows Aubameyang or Martinelli to make movements into the nine space as defenders will find these movements and interchanges hard to track as Lacazette will have space in the wide areas whilst creating space in the box. As a front-five, Arsenal also utilise Lacazette dropping deep to play flick-ons for runners in behind. Arsenal tend to work routines where they have a player dropping short while another makes a routine run in behind for a flick on opportunity, also in the wide areas to create low crossing situations by the by-line.

Counter – Pressing

Arteta looked to integrate a ferocious counter-press, especially with Arsenal’s centre-backs positioned in the higher areas to regain possession, eliminate counter-attacks and work new waves of attacks. In Arteta’s debut against Bournemouth, there was a situation where the ball was lost in a crossing situation from the left flank as the Cherries looked to shift the ball back to the left as Maitland-Niles raced to the opposite flank to attempt to regain possession. Arsenal also conceded a goal against Chelsea where the centre-backs dropped back in a counter-attacking situation instead of pushing up to engage the ball and regain possession. Since Arteta’s debut, Arsenal have mostly reacted brilliantly to their counter-pressing responsibility as the closest players will look to close down the players and the space while the deeper-lying midfielders like Ceballos, Xhaka, Guendouzi and Torreira are also allowed to situationally push up to provide numerical superiority to regain possession.

Arsenal’s centre-backs pushing up in the counter-press.

If the ball is played back to the goalkeeper, then Lacazette or Nketiah will push up to press the keeper while the wingers will press the centre-backs as Ozil will cut out the passing lanes to the ball-near deep-lying midfielder. At times, the wingers might be marking the fullbacks so Ozil will be tasked to push up and engage the centre-backs in possession as Arsenal try to create numerical superiorities to win possession. The strikers also take an active role in regaining possession, especially if possession is won behind them, moving to attack a defender’s blind-side to regain possession to instigate a counter-attacking move. Arsenal players also cover each other as if Pepe loses possession cutting inside, the ball-near player either the fullback or Ozil will push up to press and cover him as if Ozil is out wide, the deeper-lying midfielders will also push up to cover for him. Arteta has instilled a belief that counter-pressing is a collective endeavour as Arsenal counter-press as a collective to win back possession.

Pressing

Arsenal press in a 4-2-3-1 as they have more recently been willing to switch to a compact 4-4-2 high press in certain situations. They press in a very narrow fashion with the wingers having central focuses when pressing the ball closer to the ten space and striker rather than in the lateral zones. In a 4-2-3-1, Ozil will be tasked with marking the defensive midfielder and cutting out the passing lanes into the area when the ball is moved to the wide areas. When Lacazette moves out to press the wide areas then Aubameyang will tuck in as the ball-far winger will always tuck in when the press is focused to the opposite side to intercept switches and allow Arsenal to have more coverage in the lateral press. Aubameyang will also sometimes move into the nine space to press the goalkeeper if the opposition decides to back pass.

In the situation above, Arsenal are closing down the right flank as Lacazette has moved into the wide areas to press the centre-back while Aubameyang is more central with a body shape that is ready to anticipate the back-pass to press the other centre-back while cutting out the passing lane to the ball-far fullback. It is interesting to see that Xhaka has moved alongside Ozil to track a deep-lying midfielder as the deep-lying midfielders normally push up alongside Ozil to track markers. Pepe is marking his fullback while Ozil has cut out the passing lane to Matic as if the opposition manage to move the ball to any of the players in that zone, Arsenal will close down the player in possession in 3v1 situations.

Lacazette will usually be positioned in the centre in between the centre-backs with Ozil marking the six-space as the wingers are positioned in the space in between the centre-backs and fullbacks. If the ball moves to the centre-backs, they can push up to engage or if the ball moves to the fullbacks then they can cover the space to engage the fullbacks. Arsenal have more recently switched to a 4-4-2 high press with the attacking midfielder pushing up next to the striker to mark the centre-backs as the midfield four push up to close the spaces in the midfield zone. If there is a solitary pivote in the six space then the midfield will not close him down as if the opposition is utilising a double-pivot, the midfielders will man-mark. Arsenal usually do this in the latter stages of games in order to secure a result by pushing with a compact press to force the opposition to opt for the long ball or win possession in the higher areas.

Defensive shape

Arsenal utilise a 4-4-2 defensive shape with Ozil alongside Lacazette while Aubameyang will drop to the flanks to support the fullbacks. This has proved helpful with a rotating cast of fullbacks as they are rarely left to fend for themselves in 1v1 situations against wingers. The ball-near midfielder, winger and fullback will normally engage the winger and fullback in 3v1/3v2 overloads in the wide areas to prevent 1v1s and to regain possession. Wingers and the ball-near centre-backs will also move to cover the wide areas if the fullback is caught out of position as the fullback can simply slide into the situational centre-back role. Arsenal have improved at cutting out near post crosses by closing down the half-spaces with midfielders and centre-backs as they constrain the space in a low block.

In the picture above, Arsenal are in their rigid and zonal low block as Pepe has marked his man as Arsenal are shifting to press and provide support on the opposite flank. The strikers are also positioned deep and are involved as the ball-near striker will move to prevent passes back into the central area as the winger are engaging the opposition player in possession. It is also easy to see how Arsenal create 3v1 situations to deny the winger direct access to the fullbacks as if the player in possession works a pass into the left alley then all three players on the flank will shift to close down the player and the space.

Arsenal are keeping the spaces small in their defensive block as all the free players have a marker within recoverable distance to close them down if they receive the ball. Guendouzi is marking two players but his focus is on the ball near player as if the opposition play the ball into that particular zone, Xhaka and one of the strikers will support him in winning possession. The player in possession’s direct passing option is under the direct responsibility of Xhaka and Nketiah as the winger will also move into the centre to create a 3v1 situation. If the ball is moved into the wide areas while the winger is caught in the centre, the midfielder will move outside to support the fullback until the winger can move back into his wide position.

The defensive block also relies on the centre-backs being able to defend the space in front of them as the likes of David Luiz and Mustafi have improved in this regard. They have a responsibility to push up and intercept passes into the central channels while also challenging strikers who drop deep and try to receive the ball in between the lines. Due to the lack of pace of most of Arsenal’s centre-backs, they also work frequent offside traps as the duo can struggle to match some of the quicker strikers in the Premier League. Mustafi regained the ball by using anticipation and physicality a few times against Everton as he has gained the trust of Arteta in recent weeks.

Conclusion

Arteta is the youngest manager in the Premier League but has not wasted time in installing his system and inspiring a renewed belief of togetherness within the squad. Xhaka and Mustafi who seemed like they were heading for the exit door in January have been reinvigorated as key starters while other members of the squad are reaching a higher level and standard of performance. It is also impressive that most of the goals that Arsenal have scored under Arteta are from moves and sequences practiced at London Colney, be it from open play and set-pieces. It will be intriguing to see what Arteta is able to do with a summer of pre-season training and recruitment under his belt.